Saturday, early morning.
Jiang Ning stood at the door. There was not a breath of wind. He looked up at the sky and saw only a few white clouds.
The sun showed half of its face from the east, quietly gazing at the world, shy and timid, but possessing a heat countless times more terrifying than magma.
"It's going to heat up." Jiang Ning muttered to himself.
According to his judgment, the highest temperature today will be 35 degrees, which is enough for ordinary people to turn on the air conditioner.
He looked towards the yard next door. The gate was closed tightly and Xue Yuantong had not woken up yet.
She played games until twelve o'clock last night, so when she wakes up, it will probably be after eight o'clock.
Jiang Ning returned to the yard, turned on the faucet, and took some warm water to wash his face.
Although he can use magic to clean himself, sometimes he prefers to wash his face by hand, which makes him feel that he is an ordinary person.
After washing his face, Jiang Ning opened his spiritual sense and extended it to the solar water heater on the roof. Scanning with his spiritual sense, he could see the amount of water inside at a glance.
Compared with electric water heaters, solar water heaters save a lot of money.
However, the disadvantages are obvious. You need to always pay attention to the amount of water in it and replenish it in time. Otherwise, it will be embarrassing if there is suddenly no hot water when taking a shower at night.
Normally, Xue Yuantong's family uses solar energy to draw water at night, but Jiang Ning is used to using hot water in the morning, so he usually draws water after washing up in the morning.
After finishing, Jiang Ning went next door to make a simple breakfast. When it was almost eight o'clock, he went into Xue Yuantong's room and called her.
She rolled lazily on the bed, not wanting to get up, so Jiang Ning lifted her up.
Xue Yuantong couldn't fall asleep this time. She rubbed her eyes and blinked her long eyelashes, revealing a bit of charm in her confusion.
"It's time to eat." Jiang Ning reminded.
Xue Yuantong sniffed, but the fragrance was not strong enough to fully activate her. She stayed by the bed for a while, then ran to the yard to wash her face and brush her teeth.
The cool water soaked her face, and her skin became moisturized. After washing, she patted her smiling face with her palms, and the ends of her hair were slightly wet.
After her mother's lesson last night, she brushed her teeth obediently.
After everything was done, I finally regained consciousness.
Seeing that Jiang Ning had prepared breakfast, Xue Yuantong picked up the bowl and drank some rice soup. It tasted mild and not hot at all. She drank half a bowl in one breath.
Then he happily picked up a piece of shredded potato and bit into it, making a crisp sound.
While she was eating, she looked at Jiang Ning from time to time and smiled secretly.
Jiang Ning glanced at her and said, "You are stupid."
Xue Yuantong was not angry either. She smiled with curved eyes: "Jiang Ning, you are so nice."
"Of course." Jiang Ning accepted the compliment as a matter of course.
"Jiang Ning, are we having crabs for lunch?" Although it was just breakfast, Xue Yuantong began to care about lunch.
"Well, I plan to go to the city after dinner. Do you want to stay at home or come with me?" Jiang Ning said, "But after we get to the city, I may have to separate."
He planned to go to Huqi Mountain to catch crabs, which was a small matter that only took a few minutes, but he had promised his cousin Jiang Junlong in the morning to deliver watermelons to his uncle's house, which was a little more troublesome.
After Xue Yuantong heard this, he said, "I will go with you. When you get to the city, leave me at Chuchu's place and I will go shopping with her."
Jiang Ning: "Okay."
After finishing the meal, Xue Yuantong cleared the dishes quickly.
Jiang Ning pushed the cart out of the gate, then she locked the gate and got on Jiang Ning's bicycle.
"It's a bit hot." Xue Yuantong put on a sun hat.
"It won't be hot once we start riding," said Jiang Ning.
"Hmm."
Sure enough, when Jiang Ning increased the speed of the car, Xue Yuantong no longer felt the heat.
It is now past 8 o'clock in the morning, the sunlight has become dazzling, the river dam is empty, and the pedestrians who got up early to exercise have already left.
As the mountain bike traveled along the asphalt road of the river dam, Xue Yuantong looked toward the distant Huishui River. There were patches of reeds growing by the river, and the water was sparkling, filled with the breath of summer.
As the mountain bike drove into the city, the original field scenery was replaced by concrete high-rise buildings, and only the green belts on the roadside had a bit of nature.
Jiang Ning rode his bike all the way, turning left and right, and finally arrived at Chu Chu's building. He used his spiritual sense to check and found that Chu Chu was cleaning the house.
"Let's go." Jiang Ning pretended to lead her upstairs.
"Jiang Ning, Jiang Ning, take care of your own things first. There's no need to go upstairs. It's so high!" Xue Yuantong waved his hand.
Chuchu's house is on the 7th floor. If I climb up, I will definitely be tired.
As she said that, she pushed Jiang Ning away.
"Okay, then I'm leaving. We'll see each other at home." Jiang Ning pushed the cart and left.
Only after his back disappeared did Xue Yuantong move his legs to climb the stairs.
…
Jiang Ning shuttled through the alleys, his spiritual sense extending over several hundred meters. There were no cameras in the alleys of the old residential area.
After making sure that no one was paying attention, he flicked his storage ring, and a palm-sized spirit boat flew out of it, flashing with spiritual light, and the hidden formation was activated.
The space in the alley was narrow. Jiang Ning used his spiritual power to pull the palm-sized spiritual boat straight into a height of nearly 20 meters, and then expanded into a three-meter-long spiritual boat.
Jiang Ning waved his hand and put the mountain bike into the storage ring.
At the same time, he cast a Qi Concealing Technique on himself, and then Jiang Ning activated the Light Body Technique. He stepped forward, using his body training skills, and the powerful force directly made his figure leap up.
This leap was more than twenty meters high, surpassing the 7-story old building nearby. He looked down at the buildings around him, and the spirit boat swam to his feet.
Then, it accelerated suddenly, broke through the air, and flew towards the horizon.
Jiang Ning flew into Huqi Mountain. He first went to check the spiritual fields and then picked two big watermelons.
He swept the spiritual field and planted various vegetables and fruits, but they were not ripe yet.
He grows these vegetables and fruits not for sale, so he doesn't plant them at the same time.
For big watermelons, Jiang Ning plants them in batches, so that he can eat ripe watermelons regardless of spring, summer, autumn or winter.
After taking the watermelon, Jiang Ning put it in his storage ring, and then went down the mountain along the stream that flowed through the spiritual field.
The mountain stream meanders like a jade belt, circling in the mountains and forests. The forest is green, a faint mist is emerging, the leaves of the trees are green and tender, and the fragrance of flowers is everywhere.
The clear and transparent stream made bursts of flowing water sounds. Several large crabs were crawling on the wet pebbles by the stream, looking leisurely and contented.
Jiang Ning suddenly remembered that Xue Yuantong imitated a crab walking sideways last night, and he couldn't help but smile.
The crab on the pebbles raised its claws, showing off its might and acting recklessly.
These crabs grow in Huqi Mountain, which is rich in spiritual energy. They are very strong and agile. If ordinary people come here to catch them, they might be bitten by their claws.
However, Jiang Ning simply bent his hand, mobilized his spiritual power, caught a few crabs in the air, and threw them into the iron bucket.
The crabs waved their claws angrily, trying to burst the iron barrel, but facing the sturdy iron barrel, their resistance was so powerless.
Jiang Ning caught a total of six big crabs. These crabs were much larger than the crabs in the vegetable market. Each crab weighed about 60 to 70 grams. Six crabs were enough for three people to eat.
What's more, Xue Yuantong said that there would be other dishes today.
After dealing with the crabs, Jiang Ning took the flying boat back to the river dam, sent the iron bucket back home, put the watermelon away, and set up an ice formation.
He then practiced at home for an hour before going to his uncle’s house.
Jiang Ning brought some watermelon with him. He rode his mountain bike into his uncle's residential complex. The security guard was using an electric fan in the pavilion, and people who were leaving the community held up umbrellas to block the sun.
The person who took Jiang Ning upstairs was Shen Qing'e.
Jiang Ning glanced at her twice, and Shen Qing'e pretended to be normal, "Uncle asked you to eat here at noon. He made some spare ribs today, and he said they are very expensive."
"Let's talk upstairs." Jiang Ning didn't refuse directly.
"Yeah." After Shen Qing'e said this, she stopped talking. She didn't want to say too much, so as not to appear to be trying to please Jiang Ning.
The elevator is very spacious. My uncle's house is a large flat of 180 square meters, with two households per elevator, so it is rarely crowded.
The door was open, and my aunt came to greet me: "Ningning is here, your brother ordered a box of ice cream, come and try some."
Seeing his aunt's enthusiasm, Jiang Ning smiled and took the bag in his hand and said:
"The melon that Junlong wants is not easy to buy. I also got it from netizens."
There were exactly four ripe melons in Huqishan, otherwise he would have rejected Jiang Junlong's request.
"You're here, so why bring the watermelon with you? It's so strange!" said my aunt, but she took the watermelon swiftly.
After hearing this, Jiang Junlong and his cousin and his wife looked at him a few more times, barely perceptible.
This kind of watermelon is grown in a spiritual place. Eating it is very good for the body and is no less beneficial than taking a tonic.
Of course, if you say it has any miraculous effect, that’s not the case.
Jiang Ning walked into the living room and got an ice cream bar, which was chocolate milk nut ice cream. It was said that the wholesale price of one bar was ten yuan!
It tastes better than normal ice cream.
My uncle was busy at the restaurant and didn't come back. Jiang Ning chatted with his cousin for a while and prepared to say goodbye and leave.
My aunt quickly stopped me and said, "Stay for lunch. We bought some ribs. These ribs are special."
Jiang Ning tried to persuade him, but was finally sent away by Shen Qing'e.
…
On the way back, it was already past ten o'clock.
There was a scorching sun overhead, burning the earth. The trees on both sides of the river dam were listless, and the ground on the distant ridges was scorching hot.
Jiang Ning set up a formation for the mountain bike, which was extremely cool at this time.
He did not take the flying boat, but pedaled his bicycle slowly towards home.
The cell phone rings.
Jiang Ning rode his bike with one hand to answer the phone, and Xue Yuantong's voice came from the other end: "Jiang Ning, Jiang Ning, where are you? Are you coming home for lunch?"
"On the way back." Jiang Ning said simply.
"Jiang Ning, please come back soon, your crabs are so scary!" Xue Yuantong complained. Just now, she and Chuchu went to Jiang Ning's room to look at the crabs, but the crab almost jumped out of the bucket and pinched her.
Xue Yuantong was so scared that he threw the lid of the bucket away, feeling extremely embarrassed. It was Chuchu who helped him pick it up and cover it.
She is now waiting for Jiang Ning to come home to take revenge and wash away the shame.
"Crab, don't touch it. Wait for me to deal with it when I get back." Jiang Ning reminded him. He was not worried that Tongtong would be hurt, after all, he had the jade pendant to protect him.
Xue Yuantong tempted: "Come back soon, if you come back early, there will be a reward."
Jiang Ning: "What reward?"
"Hmph, a smart, talented and beautiful woman will personally make delicious food for you." Xue Yuantong said proudly.
Jiang Ning was puzzled: "Chu Chu wants to cook for me?"
Xue Yuantong hung up the phone angrily.
Xue Chuchu, who was washing vegetables, was surprised: "Tongtong, what's wrong with you?"
Xue Yuantong was so angry that he wanted Chuchu to hide!
…
When Jiang Ning rode his bike back home, two girls, one big and one small, were busy in the kitchen.
He entered the kitchen and met Xue Yuantong's raised chin.
Jiang Ning said, "Let me take care of the crabs."
The iron bucket was moved to Xue Yuantong's kitchen. He poured the crabs into a large aluminum basin and washed them again.
He asked them, "How do you plan to eat it? Steam it?"
Xue Chuchu, who was sitting on a small stool, didn't say anything. She was not as proficient in cooking as Tongtong.
Xue Yuantong first glared at the crab fiercely and suggested: "I know a particularly good way to eat it, but you need to split the crab in half first!"
Jiang Ning: "Leave it to me."
After saying that, he put the crab on the chopping board, raised his knife and "bang!" split the crab in half.
Xue Yuantong felt that his revenge was so cruel, but when he saw the rich crab roe, he swallowed his reluctance.
Six crabs died, and Jiang Ning's job ended there. The fire-making job was taken away by Xue Chuchu.
Burning earthen pots in the hot summer is a rather tiring task, especially as it is so hot today.
Imagine sitting by the fire in 35 degrees Celsius, and you will know how painful it is.
Xue Chuchu was wearing clean clothes and looked cold and out of place with the firewood and earthen pot. Her fair face was roasted red by the scorching flames.
She just kept burning the fire silently, and only the sweat on her forehead showed her hard work.
Xue Yuantong was also very hot, but this kind of thing was something they were used to, not to mention the delicious crabs.
Jiang Ning urged his spiritual power to cool down the kitchen silently
In order to save time, Xue Yuantong cooked two dishes at the same time, one was crab and the other was pork ribs with dried lentils.
Dried lentils, as the name suggests, are made from dried lentils.
These were not bought by Xue Yuantong, but were found in the sun at Xue Chuchu's house. She thought that she always came here to eat for free, so she brought some dry goods with her.
Xue Yuantong put on her apron properly, put oil in the pan, poured starch, dipped the crab roe side of the crab that had been split in half in starch, and then threw it into the pan to fry.
After frying, she drained the oil, poured in green onions, ginger and garlic, and started stir-frying.
Jiang Ning stood by and watched her cooking, occasionally using his spiritual power to prevent the oil from splattering and scalding her.
When he was not busy, Xue Yuantong did not forget to bicker with Jiang Ning:
"I asked you to buy some juice, but you forgot."
Jiang Ning didn't let her complain, he said: "Didn't you forget it too?"
In the end, it was Chuchu who bought the drinks.
Xue Chuchu listened to the two people talking and smelled the tempting aroma coming from the kitchen. She silently added some firewood.
Xue Yuantong scolded Jiang Ning a few words, saying that it was all his fault and he was not at fault anyway.
At the end, Xue Yuantong snorted, "I won't let you take care of the food anymore. Leave it to me!"
She was frying the vegetables with a spatula and pouring the side dishes into the pot, all the while she was talking nonsense.
Jiang Ning found her look amusing and suddenly reached out and pinched her face.
Xue Yuantong seemed to be frozen in place, and her voice suddenly stopped. After several seconds, she said angrily:
"Bully me while I'm cooking!"